An editorial in today's New York Times posits a conflict between religion and healthcare, abortion being the main focus. "Freedom of religion is essential—and so is access to health care," it says. It should have stopped there.

Instead, the editorial says that "Current law tries to accommodate both, but the far right has stirred unfounded fears that religion (and Christianity in particular) is under assault, and that people of faith are in danger of being forced to do things they find morally objectionable."

The far-right has stirred unfounded fears that Christianity is under assault? First of all, the term "far-right" is usually employed to describe the Klan or some assembly of racists or terrorists. Second, one does not have to be a Brownshirt to know that organizations such as the ACLU—which the Times favorably cites—have given Christians, especially Catholics, lots to fear. Importantly, their concerns are grounded in reason, not emotion. Here's the proof.

A recently published report, "Bearing Faith: The Limits of Catholic Health Care for Women of Color," is the most anti-Catholic document assessing Catholic healthcare ever published. The authors want to effectively shut down Catholic hospitals, unless, of course, they stop being Catholic. The report is the work of the Public Rights/Private Conscience Project, a unit of Columbia Law School. It draws on data supplied by MergerWatch.

MergerWatch is a child of Planned Parenthood. In the 1990s, MergerWatch was a project of the Education Fund of Family Planning Advocates of New York State. Family Planning Advocates is the lobbying arm of Planned Parenthood. MergerWatch frequently teams up with such groups as the ACLU, Catholics for Choice, NARAL, and other foes of the Catholic Church.

The report goes beyond the usual criticisms of Catholic hospitals made by the pro-abortion industry: It plays the race card, trying to paint Catholic hospitals as racist.

How does it manage to do this? It claims that African American women are more likely to go to a Catholic hospital than white women, and because Catholic teachings proscribe killing in the womb, this means that African American women are more subject to abortion restrictions. Of course, no one is forced to go to a Catholic hospital, and everyone knows, or should know, that abortion is not sanctioned by the Catholic Church.

The authors are so desperate in their attempt to brand the Catholic Church as a racist institution that they include a statement about slavemasters who raped black women. So what does this have to do with the Church? Nothing. Even the authors do not attempt to pin this on the Church, but the fact that it is included in a report on Catholic healthcare makes it clear what they want readers to believe.

Unfair as this part of the report is, what is really driving the authors is an animus against Catholic teachings on life. To be specific, they cite the "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services" that was issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Their major objection? The Church's teachings on abortion. They know, however, that in order to accomplish their goal, they must throw the kitchen sink at the Church, hoping something sticks.

Most Americans, including those who are not Catholic, have no problem with Catholic hospitals, but this doesn't stop the authors from trying to portray this as a myth. They claim that Catholic hospitals "provide disproportionately less charity care than do public hospitals and other religious non-profit hospitals."

The evidence the authors use to make this charge is from a report by the ACLU and MergerWatch in 2013. It found that public hospitals serve more Medicaid patients than Catholic hospitals do. So what? Why is this surprising?

Public hospitals are not likely to be located in wealthy neighborhoods: they are more likely to be in areas where the indigent live. More important, as even the report notes, Catholic hospitals have a better record of serving the poor than either secular non-profits or for-profit hospitals (the margin of difference between Catholic hospitals and religious non-profits is statistically insignificant).

The authors are so worked up over trying to stick it to Catholic hospitals that they even find fault with Catholic hospitals that don't have Catholic names. For example, they find it objectionable that there are Catholic hospitals known as Affinity and AMITA. Again so what? As if every Catholic institution should have a name like St. John's. By this logic, the founders of Stonehill College can be accused of trickery for not acknowledging its Catholic identity.

Also, it does not help the authors to cite a recent study showing that "37% of patients whose regular hospital was Catholic were unaware of its religious affiliation." If the care were substandard, they wouldn't be coming back.

Toward the end of the report, the authors critically cite several laws that protect the autonomy of religious healthcare institutions. This underscores my point: It shows that their real problem is the First Amendment. If they had it their way, the free exercise of religion provision would be excised. This is a serious charge—it demands serious evidence. Fortunately, the authors supply it.

Their first recommendation says it all: "Reform laws and policies that allow health care providers to refuse service on the basis of religious or conscience objections." They could not be more clear—do away with all exemptions for religious hospitals. In short, force Catholic hospitals to be thoroughly secularized, thus neutering their Catholic identity. In short, this means making Catholic hospitals illegal. It would be like telling Jewish restaurants they can no longer serve kosher food, but they can stay in business if they want.

This is what the Catholic haters want. Alas, there is one saving grace: at least now no one can pretend that their goal is not to shut down Catholic hospitals.

Local coverage for the March for Life appeared on the LoHud website Friday (26th) and in the Journal News on Saturday (27th). Initially there was NO coverage of the March by these local media. When Tina McDermott, the head of Birthright in Peekskill made an inquiry, she was told that they DID NOT KNOW about the March.

Since this site is monitored by the pro-abortion folks, we won't reveal the people who managed to scramble and get this excellent exposure, nor the very reasonable person at the Journal News we dealt with. No sense exposing anyone to the possibility of harassment.

This picture led both the online and newspaper (whole page A3 of the Saturday edition) coverage. The lohud link is below the picture.

Please widely disseminate this posting as five women explain in a Q & A fashion their pro-life commitment. And leave comments on the LoHud site for the article!

NOTE - a couple of pop up ads may inhibit your view; just shut them down. The full article will appear.

More than 300 people from the Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties joined thousands of anti-abortion activists last week in the annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C.

Here is the first of the five women - their pictures do accompany the article.

Anastasia Anderson

Do you think the march has evolved over the years? If so, how?

The march has evolved dramatically, reaching over half a million these past few years. I have been going for years, and I don't remember it ever continuing this long. I was marching for four hours — at several points we stopped dead because there were so many people you couldn't move. I would guess about seven- or eight hundred thousand. This was the biggest march I've ever been to. Over the years, the crowd has also gotten younger; a lot of high-school and college kids. It has a lot of youthful energy. It was fun, I took a Mega Bus from Manhattan with some of my college-age friends.

Do you think the mission of the activists has gained traction since Trump was elected? If so, how?

Yes, the pro-life movement has certainly been helped by our president. For one thing, he isn't afraid to say what he thinks, and he is willing to do what he thinks is right. He addressed the entire pro-life rally directly through live stream, surrounded by a smaller group of pro-lifers from the march. But I think the main thing is that the pro-life movement, which is so accustomed to being ignored completely, has suddenly realized that there are a lot more people out there who think like we do. The Democrats think this election was an anomaly, but it just told us that 45 years of fighting ignorance paid off.

What is your goal for the coming year and how will you achieve it?

I aim to show those who do not share my belief that I am not bitter and scornful of their opposition but hope that they will one day see the truth about abortion, aided by any example or help and care that I can offer. Especially for my generation and the life being pushed on us — of promiscuity, contraception, abortion and then drugs and booze to numb us — is so full of despair. I want to offer a better way; I want to offer hope.

January 21, 2018

And the one minute video ends before getting to the end of the March! This is from the group students for life. It would be fascinating for someone to do the sames at the corner of Constitution Ave., where the March makes the right hand turn to the Supreme Court. We will be posting more from the March shortly.

January 15, 2018

A calendar of future events and some notes on the March and the Rally follow:

1/19 - March for Life

1/20 – Rally for Life in White Plains

1/21 - Life Chain in Port Chester

2/11 (tentative) - 40 Days for Life Kickoff Rally

2/14-3/25 - 40 Days for Life Spring 2018

3/25 - International Gift of Life Walk NYC

6/4 - March for Life NY - Albany

MARCH FOR LIFE– This January marks the 45th Anniversary of the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion during all nine months of a woman’s pregnancy. The March for Life will again be held in Washington D.C. on Friday, January 19th. This year St. Mary’s will not be sending a bus to the March, however, there are buses leaving from several local parishes. If you are interested in going, contact one of them to reserve a seat:

St. Patrick’s in Yorktown Contact: Maria Litrenta (914) 962-1815

St. Augustine in Ossining Contact: John Mark (914) 224-7192

Assumption in Peekskill Contact Juliet Juarez (914) 382 3185

Local Prayer Rally for Life - Saturday, January 20thIf you are unable to travel to the March for Life, please consider joining your neighbors in spending an hour of prayer and public witness to remember the millions of young lives that have been lost since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. There will be a Prayer Rally for Life from 12noon to 1PM on Saturday, January 20th outside of the 'All Women's "Health" and Medical Services' abortion clinic at 222 Mamaroneck Avenue (corner of Maple Avenue) in White Plains. Dress warmly! Please show that you care!

January 09, 2018

Here is a story from almost thirty years ago which says it all about Father. Thanks to Laura for sending us this:

In 1988, Fr. Irwin held a “Joan Andrews’ Week” at his parish, St. Mary’s in Mount Vernon, NY. Joan had been in jail for rescuing unborn babies, having spent nearly five years in Florida’s Broward County Prison for a rescue she had done at a local abortion mill. When she was released from Florida, she was transferred to Pittsburgh on an outstanding warrant. Several of us went to Pittsburgh and witnessed her finally being released from custody after a brief trial there. The following weekend, Joan ended up in New York with an old Rescue friend who asked us to let her stay at our house; we were honored. I remember calling Father Irwin late that Saturday night, telling him that Joan was with us, and letting him know that we felt there was no better church to take Joan to on Sunday than his. I still see him at Mass that Sunday morning, getting up and thanking his parishioners for praying for her, telling them that she had just been released, and then that she was sitting there in the pew. People gasped and applauded and gave her a standing ovation. It was so moving. I remember that Father Irwin always had a blurb in his bulletin that read something like: “Let it never be said that the pulpit of St. Mary’s was silent during the abortion holocaust.” A dear, great man and priest. Make he be in heaven. RIP.

It was a blessing to know Father Irwin and work along side of him whenever I was able... It was during his time at Most Holy Trinity that my Faith began to grow in words that are sometimes hard to express...His teaching on the Presence of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist and of God's Love and Mercy is key to my entire life now... The time spent in front of Our Lord Present in the Monstrance every Friday was a saving grace in my life... His teaching on Our Lord, Our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph became pivotal in my understanding of God... I can go on and on ... The babies helped in the womb to the countless lives he touched are all changed because of Father Irwin's sharing God's awesome and profound Love and Mercy !!!

Posted by: Peter Lepre

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He was a good and conscientious priest, the kind you read about in books. He was my jail buddy at Westchester Penitentiary. His rectory was always open to his parishioners for coffee and confession. He was quiet, very observant, and quick. He had authority because he was faith-filled! May he see the Lord RIP.

Posted by: Edmund P. Riely Jr.

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We buried him in a blizzard out of Saint Augustine's in Larchmont. The Cardinal and twenty fellow priests were at his Requiem Mass, even in "white out" conditions. He died of his Parkinson's cared for by men, women, and children he saved from abortion, and by his loving family. Father Tom Madden gave the homily. His brother gave the eulogy. Regina Riely reinforced the choir from the pews. We miss him, he was a powerful force for goodness.

January 01, 2018

A gain for heaven but a loss in the here and now for the Right to Life. Fr Irwin was great - we know people who were on the way to being aborted, living today because of his efforts. Below, from the Archdiocese Respect Life office. And below that, are the arrangements.

Father Joseph Irwin is a priest with a pro-life heart.

As a pastor,Fr. Irwin was a true shepherd, creating an atmosphere of welcome for any mother facing a crisis pregnancy and fostering love of neighbor among his parishioners. "Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me." Mt. 25:40. Over the years, many turned to Fr. Irwin for help. Out of love for mothers and their children, Fr. Irwin risked his own liberty participating in Operation Rescue, and also had a tender heart for women who suffered the effects of abortion, assisting in post-abortion healing.

He had served as administrator at Most Holy Trinity, Mamaroneck, since 2010, after having served there as pastor starting in 1989. He was pastor at St. Mary’s, Mount Vernon, 1977-1989, after being temporary administrator there in 1977, and parochial vicar, 1966-1977. He also served as parochial vicar at St. Peter’s, Rosendale, and St. John the Evangelist, Clove. He was ordained in 1962.

"This is one of the great glories, this is one of the wonderful mysteries: That our Lord has put into the hands of priests this literally monumental power that a piece of bread becomes the Body of Christ, a cup of wine becomes His Blood. The hands of a priest can wash away sins accrued over a lifetime."John Cardinal O' Connor

FATHER JOSEPH IRWIN PASSED ON TO OUR LORD SATURDAY EVENING DECEMBER 30TH ON THE VIGIL OF THE SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY FAMILY. ARRANGEMENTS ARE: